Edited by Jean-Pierre Changeux and Jean Chavaillon

Origins of the Human Brain

Edited by Jean-Pierre Changeux and Jean Chavaillon

Description

Throughout history, humans have been fascinated by their origins. The evolutionary development of the human brain has been of particular interest since our intellectual, emotional, and cultural capacities are considered to be unique among animals. This book brings together a group of eminent scientists from the fields of evolutionary biology, anthropology, neuroscience, and psychology. Their views provide a starting point for a debate based on the most recent scientific data relating to the evolutionary origins of the human brain, drawing together knowledge from sciences of the past (paleontology, archaeology) and those of the present and future (molecular neurobiology, population genetics). The result is a lively, informative, and valuable synthesis that will interest a wide range of students and researchers in these fields.

Origins of the Human Brain

Edited by Jean-Pierre Changeux and Jean Chavaillon

Table of Contents

IntroductionPART I: Anatomy of the brain 1. The first modern men2. Image of the human fossil brain: endocranial casts and meningeal vessels in young and adult subjectsDiscussion3. Toward a synthetic theory of human brain evolutionDiscussion4. The brain of the first hominidsDiscussion5. Evolution of neocortical parcellation: the perspective from experimental neuroembryologyDiscussion6. Brain locomotion, diet, and culture: how a primate, by chance, became a manPART II: Genetics 7. The human genome8. Mitochondrial DNA and human evolutionDiscussion9. Mammalian homeo box genes: evolutionary and regulatory aspects of a network gene systemDiscussionPART III: Culture 10. Life in the fast lane: rapid cultural change and the human evolutionary processDiscussion11. The origins of cultural diversityDiscussion12. Individuals and cultureDiscussion13. Man's intelligence as seen through Paleolithic artDiscussion14. The origins and evolution of writingDiscussionPART IV: Intelligence 15. The origins of consciousnessDiscussion16. The social mindDiscussion17. Facts about human languageDiscussion18. Cause/induced motion: intention/spontaneous motionDiscussionEpilogue

Origins of the Human Brain

Edited by Jean-Pierre Changeux and Jean Chavaillon

Reviews and Awards

"This intriguing collection is useful in stretching the thoughts of a reader by challenging him or her to consider how the different perspectives of other fields can affect his or her own thinking about the brain. --Stephen Kelso, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago

"...[this book] is a relatively rich source of information about the influence of social and cultural processes on human brain function and on human intellectual processes."--American Anthropologist